The electronic version of the book is created by http://www.enverhoxha.ru «... THE HOUSE WHERE THE COM­ MUNIST PARTY OF WAS FOUNDED HAS BECOME AN OUTSTAND- ING MONUMENT IN OUR COUNTRY, KNOWN TO YOUNG AND OLD IN AL- BANIA, AS WELL AS TO THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF FOREIGN FRIENDS, COMRADES AND VISITORS.» THE MUSEUM-HOUSE OF THE PARTY

THE MUSEUM-HOUSE OF THE PARTY

THE «8 NËNTORI» PUBLISHING HOUSE, , 1981

Comrade Enver Hoxha, the founder and leader of the Party. With the occupation of the country by fascist Italy, the communists threw themselves into the war against the invaders and the local traitors. The revolutionary creative activity of Comrade Enver Hoxha greatly promoted the rapprochement and collaboration between the communist groups. The Tirana branch, under the guidance of Comrade Enver Hoxha, became the prominent centre of the anti-fascist communist movement in Albania. The «Flora» shop in Tirana became the centre of the underground revolutionary activity of Comrade Enver Hoxha. In early April 1939, on the initiative of the communists of the groups, the masses of the people rose in powerful demonstrations against the fascist ag­ gression. The demonstration of October 28, 1941 in Tirana was the most important joint action of the communist groups. This big demonstration was a major victory in the efforts to unite the communists into a single party which would lead the masses of the people in the Anti-fascist National Liberation War. The organizer and leader of this demonstration was Comrade Enver Hoxha. The demonstration of November 8, 1941 in Korça, which was organized and led by the communists, was a major fighting action which inspired the whole of the Albanian people to war against fascism. It turned into a bloody clash with the fascist carabinieri and police. The communist Korçi Bako fell during the clash. The Museum-house of the Party is a major monument of special pro­ minence among all the other historic monuments which perpetuate the glorious past of the Albanian people. In this small house in red Tirana, the Communist Party of Albania, today the Party of Labour of Albania, the inspirer and organizer of all the victories of our people, was founded in profound illegality, on November 8, 1941 by the Albanian communists with Comrade Enver Hoxha at the head. The first rays of that clear light which illuminates the road of the rev­ olution, socialism and communism, emerged from this modest house. It is one of a number of similar, unpretentious houses, set in small gardens behind walls that fringe the narrow lane. Today every Albanian knows that the first flowers heralding the beautiful spring in which our country is living today opened in this lane. It was the starting-point of the broader, brilliant roads which were opened to our people. The inhabitants of this quarter, one of the oldest in the capital, were poor, but embued with lofty feelings of patriotism and a revolutionary spirit. Under the grave conditions of fascist oppression, they sheltered the repre­ sentatives of the communist groups in their bosom. The Party was founded under their protection, guarded by their vigilant eyes. Knowing the history of this house, the visitor crosses its threshold with a special sense of respect. What impressions and emotions it arouses! Here there are no plush salons or luxurious furnishings, but simple, ordinary rooms. In one of these rooms, the Communist Party was born to lead the people to victory. This small house, which towers with such majesty in our hearts, saw the start of a completely new epoch in the many centuries of the history of our people. From here the Marxist-Leninist light radiated through the whole of Albania during the nights of fascist bondage; the flame which was kindled here was to spread all over the country and wipe out oppression and misery. Our people are right to say that every victory achieved in socialist Albania stems from this house. Both externally and internally this house retains its original form and furnishings from the days of the founding of the Party. The only additions are documentary materials which reflect the key moments of the workers' and communist movement prior to the founding of the Party. The ground floor room to the right of the entrance is of particular interest. After many efforts by the sound communists of the main groups, the meeting of the representatives of the main communist groups was held in the room from November 8 to 14, 1941. Among the 15 participants in the Meeting were Comrades Enver Hoxha, , and Pilo Peristeri. Here the historic decision was taken to merge the groups and found the Communist Party of Albania. Hence, this tiny room with a fireplace and lit by a kerosene lamp witnessed a great event, unprecedented in the history of this country. Here the Albanian communists, in founding their Party, proclaimed the Albanian people the masters of the country, thus issuing the greatest challenge to the enemies of the Homeland. The meeting held in this house ranks in importance with a Party Congress. It was the greatest victory for the working class and all the working people of our country. The Resolution adopted at the Meeting, which is on display here now, is the first document of the newly-born Party. In this document the ideological and organizational foundations of the Party are defined and the fundamental questions of its general line for the period of the Anti-fascist National Liberation War are elaborated. This was the time when the swastika flag of the nazis was flying over almost the whole of Europe, but on the other hand, the enslaved peoples, headed by the Soviet Union led by J. V. Stalin, had united in a common front and were dealing the enemy heavy blows. In our country, too, which was occupied by the Italian fascists, the National Liberation Movement, was growing day by day. The unshakeable confidence of the Albanian communists in the inevitable victory over the occupiers and traitors, in the glorious road of the revolution, socialism and communism and the imple­ mentation of the correct Marxist-Leninist line, cemented the foundations of the newly-born Party. The Communist Party of Albania was to be the bearer of the finest revolutionary traditions of our people, of their struggle for freedom through the centuries. The people found their guide, their political leadership, the Party! Therefore, November 8, the day of the founding of the Party, will remain an outstanding day in the history of our people, an unforgettable day for this valiant and freedom-loving people. The Communist Party of Albania gave the signal. The fierce battle with the enemy began. Depots were blown up, spies were killed. The sons of Albania led by the Communist Party, under the banner of former victorious battles under Skanderbeg, took up arms and went to the mountains with revolutionary songs on their lips to fight the occupiers and traitors relentlessly, to win freedom. Facing the firing squad a communist shouted, «Long live the Communist Party of Albania!» Thousands of others rose. A village or a region was burnt by the occupiers and traitors, but the whole people rose in arms to take revenge. The hymn of liberation began to echo all over Albania. Some of the comrades who took part at the Founding Meeting of the Party, such as Qemal Stafa, Vasil Shanto, are no more. They fell, just as another 28,000 martyrs fell, following their example, with the name of the Party on their lips. But they did not die — the memory of them will live for ever in our hearts; their lofty heroism inspires us and will continue to inspire us, generation after generation, to work and to new heroic deeds, for the complete realization of the ideal for which they laid down their lives. Under the leadership of its Marxist-Leninist Party, Albania won its freedom with the partisan rifle. The road of progress towards socialism and communism was opened before it. The people won complete freedom for the first time; the state power of the people was established for the first time. Never before had the people become masters of their own destiny, masters of the land, factories, the whole country. They triumphed because they were led by the Party with Comrade Enver Hoxha at the head. Forty years have gone by since November 8, 1981. Albania has traversed a road full of victories. It was blazed by the workers, peasants, people's intellectuals, the youth and women of our country, by implementing the line of the Party, with the communists in the forefront. It was the Party which turned the wonderful dreams of our forefathers into reality. The behest of the martyrs has been fulfilled. Albania has be­ come as they wished it to become, advanced, powerful, capable, standing proudly on the shores of the Adriatic, where the banner of socialism flies undaunted. It has become a People’s Socialist Republic. «The PLA has always worked and fought as a detachment of the inter­ national communist and workers’ movement,» says the History of the PLA. «With the triumph of the revolution and successful construction of socialism in its country, Albania has at the same time fulfilled its fundamen­ tal internationalist duty towards the proletariat and world proletarian re­ volution.»

This simple clay and mud house, more majestic than a royal palace, more powerful than a stone buttress, towers higher than castles in the centuries.

On November 8, 1949, on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the founding of the Party, this house was converted into a museum. The «Founding of the Party» Street is the name of the narrow alley leading to this house. Once neglected deep in the quarter, which bears the name «November 8» (the historic date), nowadays it swarms with visitors: youngsters, workers, peasants, students and soldiers coming from all over the country. No gate is opened to so many visitors in a single day. This small and simple house has become for the communists and all the working people visiting it, a source of inspiration for new gains. Each coming day brings changes to our country. Albania is advancing with gigantic steps and so does its capital, Tirana. Only this house with its doors, windows, balcony, rooms and furniture will remain unchanged in the centuries. The generations see in it the embodiment of the most glorious event in the history of the Albanian people. This house, deep into the winding lanes of the quarter, which does not catch the eye, has become a beloved site for all the people, from the oldest to the youngest.

The ground floor of this house is low and partly underground while the first floor is higher. The architecture of the house is very simple: one small corridor linking two living-rooms on both floors.

Every object in this house has its history. It was around these tables that many a long debate went on until late into the night. It was here that the happy future of our people was outlined. Everything here is linked with the name of Comrade Enver Hoxha. There is his photograph on the wall. Supported by the majority of the participants in the meeting, he rejected the theses of the Trotskyite elements and proved with scientific argument the necessity of the creation of the Communist Party and the revo­ lution, which would lead the Albanian people to victory against the external and internal enemies.

A room on the ground floor, dimly lit and disguised from the outside. The encircling walls form a barrier to the eye and ear of the enemy.

The meeting of the communist groups defined the ideological and organizational bases of the Party and dwelt on the fundamental problems of its general line for the period of the National Liberation War. A Provisional Central Committee of 7 members was elected as the leadership of the Party. Enver Hoxha was charged with leading this committee. The meeting of the communist groups ranks in importance with a Constitutional Congress.

Nothing has been removed from this room: three old tables placed at a right angle, with a water jug, an inkpot and an old penholder on them. Around them, 15 simple chairs.

In the clouded skies of the Revolution, Comrade Enver Hoxha signed the first Document of the gathering storms. None of the colossal transformations that have taken place in our country in these four decades can be properly understood if we do not seek their source in this small room lit by an oil lamp on the wooden table. The Resolution of the meeting of the communist groups for the creation of the Party.

The first call of the Central Committee of the CPA

Tirana was still sleeping when the first leaflets announcing the creation of the Communist Party of Albania were put on the walls or pushed under doors. The leaflets said in part: «We call on all honest Albanians, who really love Albania, to unite all their forces in the service of our struggle for national liberation. Open war is the only stand we should adopt towards the occupiers. Every son of this people should be a fighter of the National Liberation War...» «THE HOUSE WHERE THE PARTY WAS FOUNDED BECAME THE MAIN CENTRE OF MY WORK AND CONTACTS WITH THE LEADING COMRADES. WE HAD SO MANY MORE MEET- INGS IN OTHER BASES. THE SMALL HOUSE WHERE THE PARTY WAS FOUNDED HAD TO BE ’SILENT’ ON THE APPE- ARANCE, SO AS NOT TO CATCH THE EYE AND ESCAPE BEING DISCOVERED BY THE ENEMY AND ITS SPIES WHO, ENFURIATED BY THE FOUNDING OF THE PARTY, SHADOWED EVERY SUSPECT AND SEARCHED EVERY HOUSE IN AN EF­ FORT TO KILL THE BIRD IN THE EGG, BUT THE BIRD HAD BEEN BORN AN EAGLE.» ENVER HOXHA The fireplace in the room of the founding meeting. A staircase in the room where the meeting was held, disguised as a bookshelf with a shutter above, was used to climb to and down from the first floor, to avoid movement on the staircase outside the house, which could attract the attention of the enemy.

During the days of the meeting its participants kept indoors all the time. Every object in the house: ewer, washing-stand, etc. is preserved as it was in the days of November 1941. It is in this room on the first floor that the participants in the meeting often slept in their clothes with a pistol nearby.

This room, too, served as a bedroom for the participants in the meeting.

The window overlooking the garden behind the house served as an escape in case of danger. It is from this window that Comrade Enver Hoxha escaped when followed and persecuted by the enemy.

A secret hole had been opened on the flooring of the wall shell to conceal documents, it was covered with a removable floor board.

The old shelf on which the vessels used at the time of the meeting are preserved.

People of different ages and walks of life visit this house every day. They are interested in everything, even the smallest details. School pupils come here to concretize their lesson, pioneer and youth organizations hold meetings and even admit their new members in this house. And when they leave they always recall this small house connected with the great event of November 8, 1941.

Comrade Pilo Peristeri, a participant in the meeting for the creation of the Communist Party of Albania, speaking to a group of visitors about those heroic days, about the fiery discussions of Comrade Enver Hoxha, about the strength of his argument and his political and ideological foresight, about the determined principled struggle he waged against the distortions by the Trotskyite and reactionary elements.

Children, the saplings of the socialist spring, reciting poems about the Party and the beloved Comrade Enver Hoxha.

The founder of the Party, surrounded by leaders of the Party and the people’s state power, recalling those stormy days when fiery discussions were held around the historic tables.

«OUR PARTY WAS CREATED IN A SMALL HOUSE, BUT IT BUILT A BIG HOUSE, A NEW LIFE FOR ITS PEOPLE WHOM IT IS LEADING ON THE ROAD OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIALISM AND LATER OF COMMUNISM.» ENVER HOXHA PREPARED BY THE INSTITUTE OF THE MONUMENTS OF CULTURE AND THE DIRECTORY OF MUSEUMS, TIRANA Printed in Polygraphic Combine «Shtypshkronja e re», Tirana 1981